Fabric take-up mechanism



April 27, 1937. l M Q .WLLER 2,078,265

FABRIC TAKE-UP MECHANISM Filed NOV. 9,1955

ATTORNEYS Patented Apr., 27, 1937 iT ES FABRIC TAKE-UlP MECHANISM ofDelaware Application November 9, i935, Serial No. 49,081

i8 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in fabric take-upmechanisms for flat knitting machines, and more particularly for flatfullfashioned hosieryA machines of the Cotton type, in which theyneedles are moved as a unit toward and away from a fixed press edge andrelatively to a series of knockover bits to knock over and to positionthe newly formedkloops to the backs of the needles. There is alsoprovided with machines of this general description a fabrictensiontake-up mechanism which includes a takeup roller onto which thefabric is wound, and tensioning means for holding the successivelyknitted courses of the fabric in a clear position to the backs of therising needles subsequent to the knockover.

Fabric tensioning devices of this description must have flexibility tofollow the needles in their forward and back movements, and must also becarefully adjusted to provide a maximum tensioning pull which will notat the same time interfere with the proper functioning of the needles inthe machine.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel andimproved fabric tensioning and take-up mechanism of the general typeabove described which will have greater flexibility than such mechanismspreviously developed to insure the proper operation of the machine, andis further-constructed and arranged to permit the use of a heaviertake-up tension than heretofore found feasible for certain types ofknitting to clear the fabric to the backs of the needles and also toreform the newly finished loops as the needles are moved rearwardly atthe knockover.

It is another object of the invention to provide tensioning means forthe fabric take-up roller which is well adapted to exert a relativelyheavy take-up tensioning strain on thefabric, and at the same time issuicently flexible to permit a yielding action to take place to preventany excessive increase in the fabric tension particularly during orimmediately following the rapid backward movement of the needles at theknockover and prior to the movement of the needles upwardly between thesinkers.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel and improvedresilient take-up connec -tion between the take-up rollers and a newlyset up fabric in which the amount of resiliency is (Ci. (i6-M9) reducedas subsequent courses are knitted and the resiliency of the newlyknitted fabric is added to that provided by the take-up connection tomaintain at a substantially constant value the tension and amount ofstretch available between the take-up roller and the loops held on theneedles.

It is a further object of the invention to pro-y vide a novel fabrictensioning and take-up mechanism of the general type set forthincludingap- 10 plicant's improved resilient take-up connection incombination with applicants flexible take-up rolleritensioning means toprovide a smoother and more efficient tensioning and take-up actionduring all stages in the knitting of a fabric, and more particularly topermit the use of a rela.- tively heavier tensioning strain to draw thefabric to the backs of the needles and to reform each' successivelyknitted course of loops subsequent to the knockover without in any wayinterfering with the proper operation of the needles or theircooperating knitting elements.

With these and other objects in view, as may hereinafter appear; aprincipal feature of the invention consists in the provision of a fabrictakeup roller and a tensioning take-up therefor including acounterweight constructed and arranged to provide a mechanical advantagein favor of the fabric take-up roller against the take-up, so that anymovement of the fabric and take-up roller in either direction Willproduce an extremely slight variation in the position of the take-up,and thus to secure a relatively greater degree of flexibility andresiliency in the operation of the take-up.

Another feature of the invention consists in the provision of a take-upconnection between the takeup roller and a new fabric set upon theneedles which is constructed of elastic material over substantially itsentire length and is further provided with means to restrict thelengthening of the connection beyond a predetermined limit.

Another feature of the invention consists in the provision of a take-upconnection of this general description whichw is connected to the fabric4 take-up roller to be wound thereon to increase the elastic tensionthereof on the fabric, and to reduce the limit of stretch as additionalfabric is knitted.

The several features of the present invention consist also in thecombinations, devices and arrangement of parts hereinafter described andclaimed, which together with the advantages to be obtained thereby, willbe readily understood by one skilled in the art from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in whichFig. 1 is a fragmentary view in side elevation illustrating the needlesupport of a full-fashioned hosiery machine, the fabric take-up straps,the fabric take-up rolls, and the take-up tensioning means for therolls, only so much of the machine being shown as is necessary to showthe connection of the present invention therewith; Fig. 2 is a detailview in front elevation illustrating two take-up rolls and the take-upcounterweight drum shown in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a view in side elevationshowing one form of take-up connection or strap; Fig. 4 illustratesanother form of take-up connection; and

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of applicants preferred form of weltwire.

The invention is disclosed in a preferred form as embodied in a fabrictake-up and tensioning l mechanism which is particularly adapted for usein a dat, full-fashioned hosiery knitting machine of the Cotton type.The take-up mechanism normally employed in machines of this descriptioncomprises a shaft supported on the machine frame having mounted thereona take-up roll for each section .onto which the fabric is wound. andtake-up tensioning means for rotating the shaft to take up the fabric inthe form of a takeup drum which may be connected to turn with the shaftand is actuated by means of a counterweight and a connecting cord orstrap wound onto the drum.

As ordinarily constructed, the take-up rolls are small as compared withthe counterweight drum, the diameter of the take-up roll being normally2 to 21/2 inches, and that of the drum being about 6 inches, so that aleverage advantage of approximately 3 to 1 is obtained to assist theaction of the counterweight to take up the fabric, and at the same timea sharp resistance is provided against any yield of the take-up rollsduring the rapid rearward movement ofthe needles knockover, causes thecounterweights to jerk in.

such a manner as to place an excessive strain on the needlesk preciselyat the moment when the needles are moved upwardly between the sinkers.

Inasmuch as the fabric tends to contract laterally and to d raw theselvage edges inwardly, any excessive take-up strain on the fabricoperates also to pull the end needles inwardly out of alignment, withconsequent interference with the adjacent sinkers and injury to themachine. To avoid possible injury to the machine through misalignment ofthe needles as above described, it is the usual commercial practice tolighten the counterweights used4 to an extent which is objectionable.and is likely to result in uneven or imenvases perfect knitting due toinsumcient take-up action at other points in the knitting cycle.

In accordance with the present invention, a

novel and improved arrangement of the take-up 'ranging from 3 to 6inches may be employed, oneA such roll for 'each sectionof the machinebeing secured to a take-up shaft i2 of ordinary construction whichextends the entire length of the machine and is supported at intervalsalong its length by the usual bracket l@ and bearings l@ on the machineframe. With the present construction there is also provided acounterweight drum k I8 having a diameter preferably of one inch looselysupported on the shaft i2, although any diameter which is smaller thanthat of the roll lll may be employed. The drumisy connected to turn withthe shaft in the usual manner by means of a ratchet 2li rigidly securedto the shaft l2 and a pawl 22 carried on an arm 2d formed on the drumi8. A tensioning strain is applied to the drum I8 by means ofcounterweights 25 attached to a tape 2t which passes over pulleys 3G and32 which may be of any well known construction,

and is secured at its other` end to be wound onto the drum 'i t.

With this construction and arrangement of the take-up mechanism in whichthe take-up rolls l have a considerably larger diameter than the drumit, a considerably heavier counterweight must be employed to produce theusual take-up tensioning strain which for purposes of illustration maybeassumed to be approximately 22 ounces foi'v each section. It will alsobe evident that a relatively Csmall oscillatory movement is imparted tothe shaft l2 and the take-up roll iii and drum i8 attached thereto, asthe fabric is wound onto the take-up rollroi` is slightly un;- woundtherefrom following the forward and back movements of the needles 3d.The small diameter of the counterweight drum it serves to reduce stillfurther the length of movement imparted to the counterweignts 2S duringthe reciprocatory movements of the take-up rolls it, and also operatesto greatly reduce the rate of movement of the. weights, so that thebobbing or jerking action previously described, is substantiallyeliminated.

A further advantage of applicants structure consists in the fact thatthe use of a large take-up roll having a diameter of 4 inches or more,sub stantially twice that of the take-up rolls now in commercial use,operates to double the leverage exerted by the fabric or take-up strapsto turn nthe take-up shaft l2 in its bearings, and thus greatlyminimizes any resistance to the turning of the shaft which may resultfrom tight or inadequately oiledv bearings. been found to be of greatassistance to insure a smooth and substantially frictionless operationof the take-up mechanism, particularly in multiple section machines inwhich the shaft i2 is necessarily supported in a number of bearingsspaced at frequent intervals along the length of the machine. Because ofthe elimination of This feature has the jerking action, and theelimination of objectionable frictional resistance to the movement ofthe take-up mechanism as above described, it has been found possibleunder certain conditions,

as for instance, in the knitting of relatively heavy yarns, toconsiderably increase the total amount of the'tensioning take-up strainexerted against the fabric beyond what would normally be consideredfeasible to position the newly formed loops to the backs of the needleswithout in any way interfering with the proper operation of the machine.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a novel and improvedtake-up connec tion or strap which is resilient throughout its entirelength for connecting 'the fabric to the take-up rolls lil d'uringtheearly stages in the knitting of a fabric. The manner in which applicantsoverall resilient strap may be employed in the machine, is illustratedin Figs. 1 and 2, which show take-up connections or straps 36 which areat their rear ends attached in grooves 3h formed in the peripheralsurfaces of rolls.or disks 39 secured to each end of the take-up rolls iand at their forward ends provided with hooks it to engage with oppositeends of a welt wire if extending through the looped welt portion of thefabric indicated at 13. Applicants takeup strap or connection comprisesa member which is resilient or elastic over substantially its entirelength, and a nonelastlc member preferably supported therein and of apredetermined greater length to provide a positive limit to the amountwhich the take-up connection may be stretched at any point during theknitting.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate two preferred forms of take-up strap which maybe employed, that in Fig.- 3 comprising a coil spring 46 provided'at-one end with a loop 48 by which it may be attached to the take-uproll l0, and at its other end with a ferrule 50 and the hook 40 forengagement with the welt wire 42 above described; Within the coil springthere is also provided a link chain 52 which is connected at one end tothe ferrule a positive check to the lengthening of the connection underincreased tension.

An alternative form of applicants take-up strap or connection isillustrated in Fig.4, in which the strap takes the form of a hollowrubber. tube t which is provided at one end with the ferrule 5t and hooklll, and at its other end with an eye 5t for attaching the strap to thetake-up roll it. construction, the link chain 52 which extends throughthe hollow portion of the `tube 54, and is attached thereto at itsopposite ends to permit a limited amount of stretch in the connection.

Another feature of the' invention consists in the.A construction andarrangement of applicants take-up straps and welt wire to provide aconnection between these elements which will permit the straps to bereadily conne'ted or disconnected from the welt wire by the operator,and at the same time will provide a tight and reliable connectiontherebetween during machine operation. To this end the hooks Sl) ofapplicants takeeup straps are arranged to iit into annular grooves Stformed adjacent each end of the welt wire t2, andare provided withrestricted throat portions 58 to provide a yielding spring fit of thehooks onto the welt wire.

As compared with the usual take-up strap comprising a Wide non-resilienttape having a There is also provided in this short resilient sectionmade up of fine springs to secure the requisite delicacy of take-upaction. and having a portion of the tape looped around the resilientsection to limit the amount of stretch, applicant is able by the use ofan overall resilient member to secure the same or greater delicacy ofaction with a heavy spring or rubber band which depends for itsresiliency upon its great length, and at the same time provides a farstronger and more sturdy construction.

Another advantage of applicants construction consists in the fact that atake-up member considerably narrower in width than the usual takev uptape or strap may be employedywhich is particularly well adapted for usewith automatic or welt turning mechanism of the general type illustratedin applicants copending application Serial No. 726,285, filed May 18,1934, to permit the insertion of the straps without interference withthe welt turning mechanism which necessarily extends over the entirewidth of each section.

A principal advantage of applicants structure rests in the Anovel andimproved mode of operation of the fabric take-up and tensioningmechanism which is secured. In operation, as "additional fabric isknitted and the take-up straps are shortened by coiling on the take-uproll i0, the resil. iency of the take-up connection or straps 36 isproportionally decreasedl to offset the resiliency and stretch inherentin the newly knitted fabric, so that the total amount of resiliency andstretch between the 'needles and the take-up rolls lll is maintained ata substantially constant value throughout the knitting of the entirefabric. It therefore becomes unnecessary for the operator to so oftenadjust the tension `on the take-up rolls by adding counterweights tocompensate for the increased stretch as is the usual commercial practicewith the take-up tensioning straps now 1n use. i

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specificembodiment shown, and that various deviations may be made therefromwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Moreparticularly, it will be understood that fabric take-up rolls andcounterweight drums having other dimensions than those specificallystated may be used, in which the diameter of the take-up roll is greaterthan that of the counterweight drum to produce a relatively smallmovement of the counterweights, and in which the diameter of the take-uproll is also greater than that now in commercial use to reduce so far-aspossible the effect of friction and inertia in the take-up mechanism.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric tothe fabric take-up roll of a at full-fashioned knitting machinecomprising a connecting element constructed for elasticity oversubstantially its entire length between the fabric and said roll, andhaving a predetermined Vlimit of stretch.

2. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric tothe fabric take-up roll of a flat fullifashioned knitting machinecomprising a connecting element constructed for elasticity oversubstantially its entire length be-` tween the fabric and said roll, andmeans to restrict the lengthening of the connection within apredetermined limit.

3. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric tothe fabric take-up roll of a fiat full-fashioned lmitting machinecomprising a connecting element constructed for elasticity oversubstantially its entire length between the fabric and said roll, and anon-elastic element to restrict the lengthening of the connection withina predetermined limit.

4. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric tothe fabric take-up 'roll of a at full-fashioned knitting `machinecompirising a connecting element constructed for elasticity oversubstantially its entire length between the fabric and said roll, and anon-elastic element of a predetermined greater length to restrict thelengthening of the connection.'

5. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric tothe fabric take-up roll of a flat full-fashioned knitting machinecomprising a connecting element constructed for elasticity oversubstantially its entire length between the fabric and said roll, and anon-elastic element of a predetermined greater length embodied withinsaid elastic element and attached to each end thereof to restrict thelengthening of the connection.

i 6. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabricvto the. fabric take-up roll of a at full-fashioned knitting machinecomprising a hollow connecting element constructed for elasticity oversubstantially its entire length between the fabric and said roll, and anon-elastic connecting element within said-hollow portion connected ateach end to the corresponding ends of the elastic element and of apredetermined greater length to restrict the lengthening of theconnection.

7. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric tothe fabric take-up roll -of a flat full-fashioned knitting machinecomprising a coiled spring connecting element arranged to be connectedat one end of the fabric and at its other end to a take-up roll, and anon-` elastic element of a predetermined greater length supported withinsaid spring element and ccnnected to each end thereof to restrict thelengtheningof the connection. v

8. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric tothe fabric take-up roll of a at full-fashioned knitting machinecomprising a hollow rubber connecting element arranged to be connectedat one end to the fabric and at itsother end to the take-up roll. and ano-elastic element of a predetermined greater length supported withinsaid rubber connection and secured to each end thereof to restrict thelengthening of the connection.

9. A` fabric take-up and tensioning device for fiat knitting machinescomprising a welt wire having an annular groove formed in the peripherythereof adjacent each end, and a pair of resilient take-up connections,each having secured thereto a spring hook with a restrictedthroat'portion to provide a spring fit of said hook onto the grovedportion of said welt wire.

10. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for at knitting machinescomprising a' fabric take-up roll, means for exerting a take-uptensioning pull on the roll, and fabric tensioning take-up connectionsfor connecting the fabric to the roll, each comprising an elementelastic over substantially its entire length connected at one end to thefabric and at its other end to be wound onto the roll and a non-elasticelement of a predetermined greater length similarly connected at eachend of the connection to restrict the lengthening of the connection.

1i. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for at knitting machinescomprising a fabric takeup roll, means for exerting a take-up tensioningpull on the roll, and fabric tensioning take-up connections forconnecting the fabric to the roll, each comprising an element elasticover substanstially its entire length connected at one end to the fabricand at its other end to be wound onto the roll, and having embodiedtherein a non-elastic element of a predetermined greater length, saidelements having their ends' attached to each other to restrict thelengthening of the connection.

12. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for flat knitting machinescomprising a fabric takeup roll, means for' exerting a take-uptensioning pull on the roll, and fabric take-up tensioning connectionsconnected at one end' to the fabric and at their other end to be woundonto the roll, each of said connections comprising an element elasticover substantially its entire length to provide a degree of' resiliencybetween the fabric and theroll which is proportionally decreased as theconnections are' wound onto the roll.

13. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for fiat knitting machinescomprising a fabric takeup roll, means for exerting a take-up tensioningpull on the roll, and fabric take-up tensioning connections connected atone end to the fabric and at their other end to be wound onto the roll,each of said connections comprising an element elastic oversubstantially its entire length and having a predetermined limit ofstretch to provide a degree of resilient stretch between the fabric androll which is proportionally decreased as the connections are wound ontothe roll.

14. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for at knitting machinescomprising a counterweight, a counter weight drum connected to turn withthe roll, a counterweight supporting strap connected to be wound ontothe drum, said drum having a proportionately smaller diameter than thatof the roll, and fabric tensioning take-up connections connected at oneend to the fabric and at their other end to be wound onto the roll andhaving a predetermined limit of resilient stretch to provide a degree ofresilient stretch between the fabric and roll which is proportionallydecreased as the connections are wound onto the rol l5. A fabric take-upand tensioning device for fiat knitting machines comprising acounterweight, a counterweight drum connected to turn with the roll, acounterweight supporting strap connected to be wound onto the drum, saiddrum having a proportionately smaller diameter than that of the roll,and fabric tensioning take-up connections connected at one end to thefabric and at their other end to be wound onto the roll and having apredetermined limit of stretch, and means rendered operative asadditional fabric is produced to proportionally decrease the resilientstretch of said connections to maintain a substantially constant factoryof resiliency between the needles and the take-up roll.

16. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for fiat knitting machinescomprising a fabric takeup roll, a counterweight, a counterweight drumconnected to turn with the roll, a counterweight supporting strapconnected to be wound onto the drum, said drum having a smaller diameterthan that of the roll so that any movement of the peripheral surface ofthe roll will produce a proportionately smaller movement of the counter-Weight.

17.- A fabric take-up and tensioning device for at knitting machinescomprising a fabric takeup roll, a counterweight, a counterweight drum,a counterweight supporting strap connected to be wound onto the drum,means connecting said drum to impart a take-up tensioning strain to theroll, said roll, drum and connecting means being constructed andarranged so that a movement of the peripheral surface of the roll willproduce a proportionally smaller movement of the peripher- 10 al surfaceof the drum.

18. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for flat knitting machinescomprising a fabric takeup roll having a diameter of approximately 3 to6 inches, a counterweight, a counterweight drum having a proportionatelysmaller diameter, a counterweight supporting strap connected to bewound-onto the drum, and means connecting the roll to turn with thedrum.

MAX C. 1\EII..LE1-'t.l

